I served my first mission term in Haiti of the Caribbean, apprenticed to an experienced missionary, Ulrich Huyssen. We were sent to prepare the base for a new Bible school and recruit the first batch of students.

We settled into a huge mission station. I had spent much of my previous two years as a disciple of Jesus reading and studying the Bible. I had memorised large portions of the New Testament, including Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. Colossians, 1 Peter and 2 Peter. Now it was time to put truth into action.

Besides plumbing, electrical work and well-digging, my main job was to paint the interior of the mission station. All 10 rooms!

Having much less time for spiritual disciplines required some adjustment on my part. The little time I had to read, reflect and pray became doubly rich. I remember standing on a ladder with a paint brush in one hand and a New Testament in the other. I literally memorised Scripture while splashing paint on the wall.

Something delightful began to happen inside of me. Truths that I had learned and Scriptures that I had memorised took root in my heart. Information gave way to insight. Hard copy became soft copy. The Word of God “became flesh” in me.

I had the same kinds of experiences during my mission term in Africa. And I also experience this today.

Memorising

Reading, memorising and reflecting on Scripture are among the most basic and helpful disciplines I know. Jesus has modelled this as we have seen.

Loving God with the entire mind involves shaping and reshaping one’s intellect by reading and studying God’s Word. Romans 12:2

Non-literate people can do this orally, God knows our limitations and works wonders with what we give him. Time constraints do not matter so much, if we make the most of the time we have.

You can download a reading plan that takes you through the Bible in a year. As for me, I simply read from Genesis to Revelation as often as I can. I used to complete the Bible once a year by reading an average of five chapters a day. Now I take about two years. It is better to read reflectively and prayerfully than to race through and absorb little.

If you have Bible interpretation skills, there is a time to use them. But in devotional reading, we are more concerned with the simple, literal meanings of Scripture. We are uploading the hard copy, as it were.

The more Bible material stored in our minds, the more insight the Spirit can pour into our hearts as we go about our daily lives and work. John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 3:6

But we’ve got to put something there in the first place so that the Lord can work with it. “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” 2 Timothy 2:7

As for memorising Scripture, I no longer do it on top of a ladder. I do it while jogging. I print Scripture portions on cards, carry them along and practise as I run. What could be more practical than combining physical exercise with spiritual exercise?

My friend Esther has tagged me as a monk with jogging shoes. I no longer run in pajamas.

The Word of God hidden in my heart is better than food on the table and money in the bank. Matthew 4:4 With a growing cache of Scripture in my head and heart, I can meditate on God’s Word anywhere, anytime. Joshua 1:8

I also use memorised Scripture as Jesus did in the desert, to confront Satan’s lies and resist his temptations. “I have stored up Your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

Listening

Another way of hiding God’s Word in our hearts is through a most delightful and fruitful exercise known as lectio divina or spiritual reading. This is a prayerful way of listening to the living Word behind the written Word. It involves four simple actions that even a child can practise: Read. Reflect. Respond. Rest.

These four verbs are in perfect alphabetical order, so they are easy to remember. Here’s how it works:

1. Read: Choose a short paragraph of Scripture or a single sentence. Read it through several times. Read it slowly and deliberately. If you are overly familiar with a text, you can give it a fresh hearing by reading it in a different translation. Sometimes I read a text backwards to break my familiarity with it. Keep reading until the literal content of the text has registered in your mind.

2. Reflect: Meditate attentively on every part of the passage. Place yourself inside the world of the text. If it’s a story or a parable, walk into it like Alice in Wonderland. Encounter every moment. Identify with each character. Keep this up until you begin to encounter the ethical, moral and spiritual implications of the text.

3. Respond: God has spoken to you in his Word. Now you speak to him. Turn every insight or impression you have received into simple, conversational prayer. If the text convicted you, confess and repent. If it consoled you, thank God and draw courage. If the text challenged you to take some action, resolve to obey. Take everything you have seen and heard in the text and turn it into prayer.

4. Rest: Once you have finished reading, reflecting and responding, don’t rush off. Relax in God’s presence. Sit with him a while. Allow what you received from the text to linger in your mind and take root in your heart. You may end by softly reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

The entire exercise takes about 20 minutes. If you have time, it may go on for an hour or two. But it’s not about marking time. It’s about sitting with God, listening to him and loving him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Through this simple exercise, the Holy Spirit transforms the letter of the Word into spirit and life, as Jesus said he would. John 6:63, John 14:26, John 16:13-15

This two-part devotional is republished from the book, Back to Jesus, with the permission of Armour Publishing. The second part will be published next Monday.